A larger trip to The Czech Republic had to be postponed and my husband and I trying to salvage some of the vacation time so we are considering Ireland Sept 25 to Oct 5. We have been to Dublin before but trying to fly into one of the smaller airports adds a lot of time in airports and greatly increases airfare cost. We do not want to drive. I do have a couple of bus tours listed but generally we prefer to be more active than those tours allow.
Sept 26 land Dublin, maybe walk around Howe, have dinner, recover from 24 hours of cars, planes and airports
Sept 27 - day bus trip to Newgrange or Boyne Valley, we have never really done Celtic or Norman history in the UK or Ireland before
Sept 28 - Glendalough via St, Kevin's Bus and then transfer to Galway in the evening by bus
Sept 29, 30, Oct 1 - take ferry to Inis Mor for a day, hiking in Connemara likely via day bus tour since public buses are very limited, maybe and e-bike self-tour on the back roads of the Burren, walking around Galway. Transfer to Killarney in the evening on the 1st. I am intentionally skipping the Cliffs of Moher based on everything I have read.
Oct 2, 3, 4 - Killarney National Park walks, Gap of Dunloe hike, town sites, not sure what else. Fly? to Dublin in the evening to fly home in the morning.
Oct 5 - fly home
We could maybe add two more days but I don't know.
Posted by
Bellingham, WA
2060 posts
Do you mean Howth?
I don't know how feasible it is to get from Glendalough to Galway by bus. If you have to return to Dublin to transfer, I would take the train. You can also take the train from Killarney to Dublin.
You might consider staying in Drogheda or Malahide upon arrival for better access to the Boyne Valley. Rates will be lower than in Dublin. I like the Marcy Hotel in Drogheda. It's in the center of town, a short walk from the bus station (direct connection from airport in about an hour).
If you're able to add days, why wouldn't you?
Posted by
RIchmond, BC,Canada
1166 posts
I would take a very close look at the transportation options available. You will likely have to return to Dublin to get the train to Galway. Then, your plan to travel from Galway to Killarney in the evening is going to take you more than four hours by bus, longer by train. If you can add a day or two, then I would add a night in Galway so you can leave for Killarney in the morning. You could also do a day trip to Dingle if you had an extra day in Killarney. Taking a train or bus back to Dublin from Killarney will take from 3.5 to 4.5 hours, then you will still need to get to the airport, so if you can find a flight then I would do that. But, take a close look at the options, and if they require a transfer, make sure you have time to make the connection if a bus or train is a bit late.
Posted by
10311 posts
No Car, will make it difficult to see key sites.
Can't believe you are skipping The Cliff of Moher, they were awesome.
Also, NO Ring of Kerry-Dingle Peninsula!
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
3104 posts
Can't believe you are skipping The Cliff of Moher, they were awesome.
Also, NO Ring of Kerry-Dingle Peninsula!
Actually it makes a change to see an itinerary that doesn't slavishly follow the usual tourist honey spots.
Kerry cliffs and Slieve league both knock spots off Cliffs of Moher and I've always preferred Connemara to the more popular ROK and Dingle peninsula. Each to his own.
Posted by
10311 posts
Connemara was great, loved it, but the Cliffs of Moher were the best. The Giant's Causeway in N. Ireland was great.
Posted by
Chicago
834 posts
Yes, it's more than possible to visit Ireland for 10 days without a car. Between 1993-2010, when I visited Ireland five times, I relied on the bus or bus and train to get around three times. I only rented a car two times. Your trip looks doable.
I salute that you plan to hike a couple times: I have hiked two 100-mile-long trails in Ireland, the Wicklow Way in the east (https://www.wicklowway.com/) and the Dingle Way in the west (https://www.dingleway.com/).
If you could delay your trip to Galway one day and take day hikes in the Wicklow Mountains in the Glendalough, it's very much worth it. There are two glacial trenches in the Wicklow Mountains that are moderate to traverse.
Also, since you'll be in the Killarney/Kerry area, Kerry has the Kerry Way trail: https://www.kerryway.com/. It would also be good for day hikes or more. There are organizations that help set up hikes, but I don't know if they for 1-, 2- or 3-day hikes. Inmail me if you want names. Cheers.